Mort Rainey
by Carowonka
Summary: On a dark and cold night, a woman who needs help appears in Mort Rainey's driveway but when he finds out that he might have some feelings for her, Shooter makes his entrance. Chapter 8 NOW UPDATED! Reviews please! D Rating might change
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

**Hey everyone, here is the beginning of my Secret Window next part story. **

**Some little details before you start reading this story:**

**When there's this sign; ' ' it means that the person is talking in his/her head and when it is " " the person is talking out loud.**

**I don't own any characters of the Secret Window, Secret Garden story written by Stephen king. Reviews are welcome and more you write reviews the more I will write of the story. Thank you very much for your support!**

**Chapter 1**

She was simply walking the little path of rocks she used to run when she was younger. Her long dark brown hair resting down her back, her dark chocolate eyes fixed on the horizon and her thin waist with the skin as soft as duvet, the young woman had only some little things wrong; some bruises could be seen on her arms and tights and a little cut on her cheek was showing. Her mascara was ruined as she cried earlier. She still couldn't believe what just happened to her but she had no choice; leaving or staying for worst.

The moon was soon to be shown but she couldn't stop walking. She was shaking as the cold replaced the warmth of the sunlight and she could hear the sound of the Tashmore Lake River like a sparkling water fountain.

His bed head was resting on the pillow of the couch and he was curled up in his bathrobe, asleep. The last months had been stressful for the famous writer; the police were coming often to check on him or to try and find some proof of any sort or even the bodies… Which were nowhere to be found. He was exhausted and couldn't really write which was not the best thing for a bestselling writer. Writer blocks were a real pain but Mort Rainey was now getting used to it. He was going back to his sloth existence of peanut butter and jam sandwiches, Doritos and Pepsi. Then he could be much happier.

After 2 hours of sleep, he woke up from another nightmare.

"Get the hell out of my head…"

He told himself, almost waiting for a reply but that was probably how you were reacting when you spent way too much time on your own. After 2 minutes of deep silence, lost in thoughts, he got up slowly and moaned in pain when his numb left leg touched the carpet.

"Bloody hell!"

He said out loud in the empty 'house'. He then went for the fridge completely ignoring the clock which rang to announce 2 o'clock A.M. He reached for a Pepsi and stood in front of the window.

'You regret what you did now do you?'

"This is just the fucking right moment to disturb me… what do you want?"

Mort's conscience just spoke up as he was perfectly calm and relax. Sometimes, he would just think about getting a knife and cut the little voice out of him. He decided to ignore the comment and opened the Pepsi.

"I spend way too much time alone"

'You're right Pilgrim! What about you take your car, go in a bar and have sex with the youngest girl around!'

"I am no pedophile and now just shut up"

'You know you want to…'

"Leave me alone!"

He went to the bathroom to get some aspirins and go back to sleep. It was getting cold outside so he closed the window in the living room. But as he did so, he saw a shadow moving slowly towards the 'house'.

"What the hell?"

He grabbed his coat and opened the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

There was a house at the end of the road and she was starving and really tired so she decided to head for it even if she knew that she would probably wake up the owner. She took a chance but what was waiting for her at this house was never what she had expected…

"Who's there?"

'I think Shooter is trying to creep you out Morty'

A cold breeze went and hit his face and at the same moment, a young woman appeared next to his car in the drive way with her arms crossed on her chest. She was shivering.

"Who are you?"

She looked so young that Mort first thought she was 16 years old.

"Are you all right?"

He went down the stairs and picked up a blanket on the couch outside. She couldn't speak as she was on the edge of crying. She simply let the stranger wrap the blanket around her shoulders and lead her to his house.

He sat her down on the couch where he slept only 10 minutes ago. He stood in front of her looking at the long brown haired girl with curiosity and care. His dark brown eyes stopped at her cut and bruises. He then, like a responsible adult, went to the medical supply for the cut. He came back to find the girl still shivering and half asleep.

"Do you mind if I..?"

He showed her the medical stuff and he pointed to his own cheek. She shook her head to indicate that it was all right so Mort passed the tissue with the alcohol on her cheek. He gave her a warm smile and asked for her name.

"Melody" She said in a whisper.

"Melody, you know the telephone number of your house so your parents can pick you up?"

She gave him a look of terror and started sobbing.

"Okay so what about you stay here for the night or do you have some friends you can stay with?"

She shook her head once again.

"Is that for the friend or here?"

He smiled and she giggled a little.

"Here" She said.

"Okay, you can sleep on the couch and we'll see what we can do tomorrow morning"

Melody was grateful; this man is so nice she thought. He brought her extra blankets, a bigger pillow and left a lamp open so she can find the bathroom.

'What are you doing Mort?'

"Just what any responsible adults would do"

'You really think you didn't look at her curves at all? And how you liked to touch her cheek…'

"You're sick, you know that?"

He locked all the doors and went to bed still arguing with himself about the young woman.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Melody woke up slowly and it took her a big 5 seconds to figure out where she was.

'That's just good' She told herself 'I am, I don't know where and I don't even know the name of that guy…'

"Good Morning Miss Melody!"

She stood up quickly and turned around to find the same man as yesterday night standing near the table of the kitchen with some toasts and peanut butter. He smiled and invited her to sit down and eat. She did so and he sat down in front of her.

"Are you feeling any better?"

"Yea thank you Mr…"

"Rainey, I am Mort Rainey"

Her jaw dropped on the table as she heard his name. Why she didn't recognise him before?

"The author?"

He looked down at his hands and looked up with another of his shy smiles that erased any doubt. He was Morton Rainey, her favourite author.

"I… I would like to say thank you for everything you've done for me… I…"

"No problems really"

She gave him a large smile and as she didn't know what else to say, she attacked her breakfast. She was wearing a black top with AC/DC on it with a pair of jeans that had holes in them. The T-shirt was kind of short and some of her skin could be seen. She was hot and Mort knew it.

'What about you rip her pants off Pilgrim?'

'Shut up you sicko she's only…'

"Melody, can I ask how old you are?"

"I am 18"

'Maybe Virgin, What do you think?'

'Shut the fuck up! Just leave me alone!'

"Mr. Rainey, are you all right?"

"Oh! Yea fine thank you"

For the rest of the breakfast, they talked about books and she told him that he is her favourite author, talking about how good his stories are. He was flattered, he didn't know that his stories would interest teenagers like her. Most of the time, when he was doing a press conference or sit and sign books, only people aged between 25 and 40 were coming to get a signature. He was interested by the way she was saying things and her laugh sounded so joyful that he couldn't resist and laugh with her or laugh back. It felt good to have a female presence in the house in some way. He had felt so lonely since his divorce and it was just good for once to have a normal conversation with someone else than himself.

"Do you want to have a nap? You look really tired"

"That would be nice, thank you Mr. Rainey"

She got up slowly, feeling a bit dizzy but as she did so, Mort glanced at her underwear that weren't totally covered and he immediately looked down at his hands.

'Thank god she didn't see that' he thought

"Do you need anything?"

"No thanks, I'll be fine"

He sat there doing nothing for several minutes waiting for her to fall asleep. 9:00 A.M.

'Time to write'

Miserable as ever, Mort Rainey got up and headed for his Laptop, upstairs. Sometimes, he was risking a glance over his desk, downstairs to see if Melody was still sleeping.

'Mort, get over it'

'I'm trying to work here, Pilgrim'

'Of course you are… pervert'

"FUCK OFF!"

'Shit'

He looked downstairs again but the young woman didn't even move.

'I think you are stressing a bit Morty'

He calmed down and forced himself not to look at her even if her shapes and curves were really tempting. After his 2 hours of writing, he found himself in the bathroom trying to look presentable for the young lady.

"Mort, you're crazy" he said to his reflection in the mirror. He heard the door opening and Melody's face appeared behind it.

"Oh um, sorry Mr. Rainey, I heard you going in the bathroom and I was just wondering if I could use the shower… if…"

"Oh yea, erm, of course you can"

He smiled at her softly.

"Thank you"

"Melody?"

She turned around in surprise but still smiling.

"Would you like to go to town with me later so we can get something to eat and we'll talk more about how you will return home. You probably don't want to stay here forever!"

'You wish Morty'

"Yea okay, and thank you again Mr. Rainey"

"You can call me Mort"

She smiled and disappeared behind the door and Mort heard her footsteps going up the stairs.

She carefully closed the door; she was still frightened because of the night before. She looked at herself in the mirror; she had a beautiful face and didn't need any mascara because her eyelashes were dark enough and curled up enough. She had a small cute nose and rosy cheeks. Her dark brown hair was resting on her shoulders. She decided to see how bad the bruises and cuts were so she undressed herself in order to do so. The first thing she saw was the big bruise in the inside of her right tight and one on her left hip.

"Bastard…" She said out loud.

She then noticed the cut on her cheek that healed a bit because of what Mort had done last night. She smiled a little and opened the shower door and turn on the water. She stepped in and a sigh of satisfaction came out of her. Red could be seen in the water under her feet so she tried to find where it came from. She found another cut on her back but this time much deeper than the one on her cheek.

"Fucking ass hole…"

Tears were now running down her face and she collapsed in the shower crying her heart and eyes out in shame and pain.

"Be strong" she told herself "be strong"

She got up in pain because of her numb muscles in her legs and started to look for shampoo and soap.

knock knock

"Melody? I'm getting dressed next door"

She swallowed her tears and tried to speak up bravely.

"K, thanks Mort!"

She finished her shower and chose some decent clothes from her bag that she had brought with her upstairs.

'Why Am I taking so much time to choose my clothes! Not like I want to impress anyone… Do I?'

After a hard decision between two shirts, she went outside the bathroom to end up in Mort's bedroom.

'Wow, tidy in here…'

What she didn't know is that Mort had clean it up while she was taking her shower. The door was slightly open in front of her so she could see Mort typing on his Laptop. She stared for 2 minutes and finally, Mort turned his head to the left to make eyes contact with the young, pretty woman. She looked down and blushed a bit.

'Making her feel shy Mort?'

"You're ready?"

"Yea"

"Let's go then!" Mort closed his Laptop after he saved what he's written for the past 2 hours and a half.

They headed slowly to Mort's car. There were numerous trees all around as the chalet was in the middle of the forest. She turned around to have a better look of the 'house': it was sort of big and looked more like a summer chalet than anything else. The balcony was covered and there were some chairs, sofa on it and a little table in front of the window. On the right, in the kitchen, was another window that gave a good view of the drive way. On the left of the house, was a little path that was leading to the garden on the side and another path was going along to lake to finally disappear behind the tress, into the forest. The lake was large and you could hardly see the other side of it, only a little sight of tress and sand. Mort had a small boat but it looked like it hasn't been used for ages and so was the deck that the boat was tied up to. The chalet itself looked old but still offering a pleasant view.

'A great place to write' she thought. It was so peaceful: No fans to disturb him (only a crazy farmer from Mississippi…). She then looked at Mort and realised how beautiful this man was; his blonde/brown hair was smooth and shinny, his dark chocolate eyes were deep and his smile so secure. She wouldn't dare to look at his lips or even more down because she would probably blush and therefore embarrass herself. He was sweet, caring, had a deep voice and was so cute with his glasses and bathrobe on… She was trying to hide from him most of the time, scared of saying something or do something she would regret later. So, to make sure that she wouldn't disappoint him, she was keeping away as much as possible but now, she was stuck in a car right next to him.

'What if I have nothing to say? What if I blush or laugh like an idiot when it's not funny?'

The usual teenager's questions were running inside her head. She grew more nervous as she approached the car door.

'Why the hell did I had to end up in Mort Rainey's house! I'm such a bloody idiot' She thought.

She climbed aboard and so did Mort. He put the key in, turned it and realised that the gas was low.  
"We'll have to stop at a gas station" He said.

She looked at the arrow and nodded to show that she approved the solution. He engaged the car on the road and drove in direction of Tashmore Lake where he would find gas and food.

No words were exchanged for the first 10 minutes of the trip. Mort felt a tension growing between them two and it felt really uncomfortable. Melody finally broke the silence asking if she could put the radio on and he agreed. They listened to random songs for the rest of the trip to the gas station.

He got out of the car and filled the jeep up so they could drive to Tashmore Lake without pushing the car. He laughed at the thought of it and went smiling, inside to pay. Curious as Melody was, she looked all around the car not knowing was she was searching for. She found nothing exceptional but some random old hats, clothes and glasses. She also found a black tuque that she saw him wear on paparazzi photos. She took it and a pair of glasses and she put them on. She laughed out loud as she saw herself with this stuff on into the mirror. Putting the mirror back up, she saw Mort coming out of the shop and toward the car.

"Shit"

She took the hat and glasses off before he could see her. She then look out the window as if she had done nothing. But Mort saw everything from the cash machine as he waited to pay. He smiled but acted like he saw nothing and started the engine.

Tashmore Lake was only 15 minutes drive from the gas station but it seemed like the time was doubled because of the persistent silence. She didn't know what to say to him and neither did he. Mort was simply taping his fingers on the wheel as the music was playing.

'This won't go far if you don't say a word Morty'

'Well, I have nothing to say… and…'

'Whimp'

He sighted without realising it and excused himself.

"It's fine Mr. Rainey"

"So eum, Melody, do you enjoy sports or something else!"

Mort hadn't practice talking with someone else for a while except the police so his skills in starting a conversation were pretty low at the moment.

"I do, I play volley-ball, horse ridding but that's all, I'm more of a reader and writer kind"

"I see. That's interesting!" He smiled but was still looking at the road.

"And you Mr. Rainey?"

"Oh um, I just do training in my living room and I walk but I mostly sl… I mean write or read"

She laughed a little because she knew that he was about to say sleeping. Her laugh made him feel more confident and he took advantage of the situation to ask her more about herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

They arrived at the grocery store of Tashmore Lake laughing because of Mort's anecdote on one of his neighbour. But as soon as she stepped outside, Melody went quiet as the grave and was obviously trying to hide from something. It took Mort by surprise but he thought that she had reasons for doing that. He decided to ask her in time, when she would trust him more.

The grocery store was pretty small but the village was small itself so nothing big was needed. There were 4 rows and a small bar/café at the entrance that was also where the cash machine was installed. A limited staff was needed and the grocery was the only one in Tashmore Lake. As soon as Mort stepped in the store, every faces turned to him and some fear and discuss could be seen in their eyes. The woman at the bar nearly dropped the coffee cup she was holding.

"Hi" Mort said, a bit nervous but trying to hide it. When Melody entered, just behind Mort, curiosity, fear and questioning grew in their heads;

'What is she doing with the psycho!'

Some didn't even question and simply stared at the pretty girl. Mort noticed that it wasn't bothering Melody at all that people were staring and looking at her like she was some sort of Alien. She was close to Mort and kept looking back for something that he didn't know about. She seemed lost in thoughts like he usually was.

"Hope you like Doritos" He said smiling.

She suddenly woke up and realised that Mort was talking to her.

"Sounds good"

"Where is it again, how can I forget where it is in the smallest store ever, and where's the sauce?"

She giggled and he went off embarrassed realising how stupid he must have sounded. As he walked off, Melody checked behind herself one last time before following him in the first row. Mort headed for the Doritos when he heard the bell of the store door ring.

'Here are your best friends!'

He looked down to the floor expecting the police not to see him but it obviously didn't work.

"Morton Rainey!"

"Yes, over here"

He lifted his hand up to show exactly where he was. Melody became nervous and hide behind Mort.

"Can you follow us please"

"Yea sure"

He let go of the Doritos bag, told Melody to stay where she was and followed the police outside. He was used to this situation where they would ask him some questions and try to find evidences of any kind to put him in jail.

She stared at the men outside the store seeing that Mort was getting more and more annoyed by what the men in uniforms were telling him. The conversation finally ended and he came back into the small store.

"Melody?"

She came to him slowly but with interest.

"We have to go"

"O.K."

They went to the car under the eyes of the police still suspicious.

"What's wrong Mort?"

"Ah um…"

He put the key in the starter and stopped turning it when Melody's eyes were trying to read in his.

'Don't tell her you psychotic freak, you know what she will thing of you…'

'But…'

'Bur what? Does Morty have a little crush?'

'Shut up, I don't want to lie to her…'

'Fine, but don't go crying to me if she calls you a weirdo'

'I won't Pilgrim now let me be'

He breathed in and out, calming himself down and still fixing the wheel he told Melody what she needed to know;

"They suspect me of murder Melody and they will do anything to get me in Jail"

She looked at him and then at the police.

"Oh" she said.

"Listen, I just wanted to tell you and be honest with you… and…"

"I understand Mort, its ok…"

They made eye contact for a couple of seconds and Mort, not knowing what else to say, came up with the first thing that passed in his head

"What about some Chinese?"

"Yea sure"

And they smiled to each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Not wanting anymore troubles with the surrounding, they brought the Chinese to Mort's house where it would be much more peaceful.

"You want something to drink with your um… kishato… whatever this thing is called"

He said, pointing at the box that Melody was holding. She laughed and said yes for the offer. She then sat where she sat the same morning waiting for Mort to sit down before she would start eating.

After some jokes and serious talking, Mort and Melody were stuffed with Chinese and she nearly spat her rice out as Mort nearly spilled his Pepsi on himself. She never felt so good since she ran away from her house. After the meal, they came back to the conversation that they had this morning about books. Seeing that she was really interested by his work, he got up and led her to his personal library, in the living room, where he kept every single one of his books and the ones he favoured.

"What's that book Mort?"

She tried to reach up for one of the books, high up, and when Mort noticed that there was no chance for her to reach it, he stepped behind Melody and extended his arm to get the book she wanted. But by reaching it, he tipped over to end up caughting her between the library and him: Mort facing her back and her, facing the library with nearly no space between them.

"Sorry" he said, stepping away "Here you are"

And he gave her the book. She laughed a little and had obviously turned red. She took the book and started flicking through it.

"Do you mind if I borrow this book for today?"

"It's fine really, go ahead!"

He smiled and decided to leave her alone for a while and not knowing what to do, he told Melody that he was going for a walk and to feel free of "exploring" the fridge and cupboard for food or drinks.

She sat down on the couch and started reading the book that Mort nearly fell over her to get it.

Mort needed to calm down, and the best way to do so was to take a long walk into the woods. Even if there was just him walking on that path, it looked clear with nothing on the way to disturb him. When he and Amy were coming here, at the chalet, in the summer, they used to walk that same path almost everyday talking about all sorts of things. He supposed that's why the path was clearly still visible.  
'I thought she was too young Morty'

The little voice always found the perfect moment to disturb him.

"Shut up will you, she's 18"

'Oh so she's NOT too young, is that what you're saying?'

"FOR FUCK SAKE, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

'Just admit it Mort, you _want_ her'

"What is it with you and _wanting _young girls you pedophile"

'It's not young girls Pilgrim; it's your little Melody. _Ye don't want me to hurt her now do ya?'_

Mort suddenly stood frozen: this voice… his voice…

"Shooter!" he risked

Reading the book was only an excuse for Melody to think about the man who saved her from the cold, fear and the feeling of insecurity. It has only been a day since she met Mort but already, she could see herself in his arms, him giving her his warmth and secure smile when the hard times of life would hit her; him always standing behind her and holding her when she needed him to. But the only thing she could do at the moment, was to day dream about it because she knew that a man like Morton Rainey, famous author and grown man, would never want of a poor, innocent, 18 years old young woman as a girlfriend. He needs someone stronger that can influence him and satisfy him in every way. She was seeing herself more as a daughter than a girlfriend to him.

'What am I anyway! A random girl who just popped up in his life and will leave him as soon as she gets a place to stay? I'm pathetic' she thought.

Tired of accusing herself of being nothing, she got up and went to the fridge, in the kitchen.

"Pepsi… Pepsi… Pepsi… Yeh he's got loads in there…"

She rolled her eyes and saw a bag of Doritos on the kitchen table.  
"That will do"

She smiled, snatched the Doritos bag away and went back on the couch. She looked all around the walls for some pictures but she only found some paintings and books and an enormous mirror above the chimney. It was a really simple little house and she decided to go upstairs to see where Mort was working. There was an old, heavy looking desk with a grey Laptop on it and some cans of Pepsi on the right and draft paper on the left with a sharpened pencil next to them. Melody sat down and looked over the desk to have an overview of the living room and to check if Mort was somewhere near. Having no signs of life from him, she made herself comfortable, crossed her arms on her chest and she simply started staring at random objects near by: a small couch that only one person could sit in it and it seemed really comfortable. There was a quilt on it and a foot rest that didn't look really new as there were some holes in it. But what retained her attention the most was a little window that she hadn't notice before. She got up and opened it: it gave her an overview of the garden, full of corn that Mort was probably growing and taking care of in his free time.

"Sweet"

As she closed the window, the front door opened and she saw Mort coming in with a tense look in his eyes.

"Melody!" He called out

"Yes, I'm here!" She went downstairs to greet him back but has she approached Mort intensely looked at her and his caring face came back.

"Are you all right?" He asked with a soft voice.

"Yea, I'm fine, I was just looking around" she grew a bit nervous, she didn't know if Mort liked it when someone was 'looking' around his house like a too curious person. After what she said, he calmed down and breathed in.

"I just thought something had happened but never mind… so! I think there's not much in the fridge to eat tonight, maybe I should go to the gas station to get something or, are you hungry?"

"um…" Melody looked at the couch where she had left the Doritos earlier and decided that she would like another trip in the car with Mort next to her.

They came back with a few bags, enough to subsist for a week or so.

"Right, so let's see what we've got on the menu tonight shall we!"

Mort quickly put everything they bought on the table and made Melody choose what she wanted. He then got his Chef apron on that made her laugh and he used the occasion to show his acting skills. She sat down at the table, watching his every movement closely when he suddenly turned around with a fork in one hand and the meat in the other.

"Good evening and welcome to the Rainey's kitchen show!"

She started giggling so he carried on:

"Today we will show you how to cook… um… what is this thing called?"

"It's pork filet Mort…"

"Oh yea, there you are! So pork filet…"

And the joke carried on for a couple of minutes; enough time to make her feel more comfortable with him. After the little "show", Melody decided to give him his space in the kitchen but before that, she dressed up the table so that Mort wouldn't have to do it. She then went back on the couch to day dream a bit more before having to face him again.

Mort hadn't eat a meal like that for a long time, his sandwiches/Doritos/Pepsi diet had become a bit addictive and satisfying but a good change in food would probably give him more energy so he could be in better condition to take care of the pretty brunette that passed his door only one day ago. 'Having company is not that bad' he thought. Being alone for a long time had made it difficult to start a conversation but now that Melody was around, he found it easier, not only to interact with someone but to approach without the fear of rejection. Loneliness had gotten the best of him but having someone leaving in his home would probably change him but he had no idea how much it would affect him. Unfortunately for Mort, the little voice wouldn't shut up about it and it would make him sick at night; always questioning himself and not being sure of anything, he was insecure and the fear of shooter had disappeared for the last few months, but in one day, things had changed. What shooter wanted, he didn't know but for sure he wouldn't let him do it.

The moon was now high up in the sky, time was running instead of passing by at a slow speed like Mort Rainey was used to. Melody had never laughed that much since a certain time and if the point of tonight was too make her feel great with him, it worked and she felt like she knew him since a long time. Her mother used to tell her that you could know someone by what the person writes and this was probably why she felt like she could relate his personality with his books that she had read so many times. But now, it was time, she couldn't live forever as a fugitive and Mort would probably not permit her to stay in his house for too long, 'he has a life after all' she thought.

"Mort um, I need to tell you something"

He looked at her and he knew that it was time to stop joking and that what was coming was really important so his smile disappeared and he simply fixed her eyes trying deliberately not to look at her lips.

"You probably wonder why I ended up in front of your house the other night…"

"Yea I might have thought about it…" he said jokingly, but that was only to make her feel more comfortable even if after the joke her eyes started to fill up with tears.

"Well, it's really difficult to explain and…"

"We got the whole night, take your time" he smiled warmly and waited patiently for her to take her breath.

"Well, yesterday night, my step dad came back home, drunk, as usual and my mum was at the wrong place at the wrong time… They had an argument; she told him that if he carried on drinking, she would leave him. But he didn't take it…" She started sobbing and Mort, not knowing what to do, grabbed her hand and he passed his fingers on hers to calm her down.

"What happened?"

"He, he, started to hit her and I heard my mum screaming, so I went downstairs to find my mum lying on the floor and my step dad still hitting her… and when he saw that I was downstairs, he ran toward me, he had a knife and he hit me and… he tried to kill me Mort… he…" She was now crying her eyes and heart out, like she did in the shower the same morning.

"Oh Melody, I'm so sorry…" He suddenly got up and hugged her, rubbing his hand on her back. He then lifted her head up and swept her dark drown hair away from her face. She looked like an innocent little child who needed protection and the face she had when she was crying, it made Mort feel like crying too. She was shaking and her breath started missing, she could feel the cut down her back and her heart was beating so fast that her head started going dizzy. But when Mort hugged her a second time, she calmed down, smelling his hair and feeling his warm body against hers; she simply let the tears flow down her cheeks and Mort only let go when she seemed less nervous.

"Listen, I think you should stay tonight again, it's late and getting cold… You can sleep in my bed tonight… I will sleep on the couch"

"But Mort… it's your bed and…"

"Melly, I must spend 80 of my sleeping time on that couch, I will be fine…" he smiled again and Melody accepted with no more objections. He led her upstairs, took a blanket out of the wardrobe for himself, checked if she was all right and he left her her space for the night.

He closed the door behind him and went downstairs thinking of that horrible story that Melody had just gone trough.

'Aw, poor little kid, she's all alone and she's in need of some love, maybe you could use your _talents_ to make her feel _better_'

'Fuck off'

'Can't deny your feelings Pilgrim…'

'Maybe not, but I can deny you, now leave me alone, I need some sleep you sicko'


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was 7:00 o'clock and Mort couldn't sleep anymore… What was he going to do until Melody wakes up, he didn't know but he was feeling really unusual and had the need of seeing her smiling again. He finally got up and headed for the kitchen.

Melody had some difficulty to fall asleep that night; her dreams kept her awake but when she smelled the pillow or the blanket on Mort's bed, she would feel secure and it putted her to sleep again. She was practically floating in her day dreams when she heard a soft knock on the door. Her eyes went wide and she quickly brushed her hair with her fingers and made sure that she looked as good as possible before telling Mort that he could come in.

"Just thought you might be hungry"

Mort was standing at the door with a plate of pancakes and maple syrup in his hand accompanied by a graceful smile that she swore she saw shine. His hair all messy, glasses that made him look so attractive and the deep eyes behind them were what she was seeing in most of her dreams for now on.

She simply answered with an enormous smile and then he approached slowly, giving her the plate and putting the maple syrup on the table next to the bed.

"Thank you Mort" she looked at him but the way he looked at her made her blush so she put her head down to try and focus on the pancakes.

'Well done moron' he told himself.

"Um, I'll be next door if you need anything"

Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable again, he left without another word but a glance to her neck that made him turn around faster so he wouldn't dare to look at anything else.

'Right, you can do this, just go downstairs, put that away and come back straight in bed… Just do it'

Melody finally stood up and went in the bathroom for the mirror. She found a brush near by and started trying to look her best for Mort Rainey. She adjusted her clothes so that her underwear could be seen a little bit, trick that her mum gave to her, thing that men couldn't resist looking at.

'Okay…' she breathed in 'let's go Melly…'

Mort was sitting at his desk when he heard the door squeak slowly; her beautiful face popped out of in the room, her rosy cheeks and her waist made him feel tense and he bit his lower lip to calm himself down.

"Sorry Mort, I'll just put this away"

She nodded at the empty plate and the syrup she had in her hands.  
"It was really good, thank you"

With this, she went downstairs making sure to move her hips to make him stare and it worked.

'Bloody hell boy, is she provoking you?'

'No… she's just… walking sensually downstairs to the kitchen'

'You're pathetic'

'Yeh, thanks for that Pilgrim'

Trying to control himself, he fixed the computer screen, watching the cursor going on and off, on and off for a great 5 seconds.

Melody washed up her plate and put the syrup back in the cupboard. She then made her way back to the bedroom making sure that Mort was looking. But what she didn't know was that the writer was checking her out even when she wasn't trying to look attractive. Sometimes, Mort would just stare at her curves while she's not looking or feel his muscles getting tense when she was skimming him.

'Control yourself' he thought.

"Can I ask what you're writing about?"

Mort turned around slowly to see Melody standing next to him playing with her sleeve.

"Oh it's no big deal, it's only a couple of ideas for a new book"

"Cool! Can I read?"

"Oh, um sure, go ahead"

As she stared at the computer screen, Mort leaned back a little to have a better look at her. Her hair was resting on her chest and her back stood straight. He could see her waist and had the intention to have a look at her legs when he noticed a red line just at the bottom of her shirt.

"Melody, what's that?"

Mort pointed to it, trying to figure out if it was a serious injury or a simple little cut.

'She said he had a knife'

"I… Okay…"

She lifted up her shirt a bit so he could see the deep cut more clearly.

"God sake, he did that to you!"

She nodded and he got up for the medical kit.

"Mort, it's fine I'm…"

But it was too late; he was already back with a sponge and alcohol.

"Can I just… clean that for you?"

"Yeh, before it gets infected, thanks Mort"

He smiled back at her but not trying to make it look like a smirk.

"No problems Melly"

He lifted up her shirt a bit not wanting her to feel exposed or to think that the only reason why he was doing that was to feel her up. He started cleaning to cut with alcohol when he heard a little moaning of pain that made him become really tense. He had to bite his lips many times so he wouldn't grab her waist or do something else. He finally cleaned it off and she turned around to meet him face to face.

"Thanks" She had said that in a whisper probably not seeing to point of talking loud as he was so near.

"Do you have any other injury before we put the alcohol away?"

She looked down, blushing a bit and said no only mentioning that she had some bruises. But the real pain was in her heart; A pain that he couldn't heal with a sponge, some alcohol and a hot chocolate.

The day passed quickly for both of them, Mort had asked Melody if she had a place to stay but she knew that if she was going to live with any of her friends, her step dad would find her easily and she feared for the worst if that would happen. She told him about it and seeing her afraid face made him think for a while and he decided that she could stay until she finds an apartment or somewhere safe to stay. He didn't even mention to her that she could see the police for it but knowing that she would probably get into deeper problems if they find out that she was staying around his, around a murderer's house; thing that most of the people around believed. The only place he felt secure was his house and he thought that it might be as secure for her.

2 days passed and everyday seemed to draw them closer. Mort was making her laugh as much as possible so she wouldn't become bored of him but even when he was writing she seemed to find something to do and if it was not reading, sitting next to him or leaning against the wall behind him to see what he was writing or simply look outside the window. They took a long walk once when the weather was good. But it rained that day and both of them were sitting on the couch, her smiling and him telling her horror stories that he used to read when he was a lot younger.

"And then… the woman climbed upstairs… searching for her ex-husband… but the one she was searching for wasn't the man waiting for her… behind the door…"

"Mort! Stop please it's getting scary…"  
"Wait I'm at the best part! So the woman carried on walking calling out the name of the man she once cheated on… when suddenly… BOO!"

"AHHHH! No Mort! Let me go!" Mort had scared her to death by jumping right next to her and grabbing her waist. He poked her and tickled her until she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Mort! Mort!"

She was nearly squealing and decided to put the joke back on him. She stood up slowly and went in front of him like on the verge of kissing him when she went for his ribs. Both of them were now laughing and giggling having a teenager fight on the couch.

The rest of the day had passed with the same kind of humour; they were chasing each other in the house playing a sort of hide and seek; thing that Mort never thought he would play again since he quit primary school. In normal time, he would probably find it silly and childish but Melody was giving him that sort of energy; he could feel a burst of happiness when she was around him.

"Oh Mort! Look!"

Melody was using one of her best tricks to fool someone. She pointed at a random thing behind Mort and he fell for it. As soon as he turned around, she ran the opposite way to find a great place to hide.

"Where, what?"

When he heard her footsteps, he smiled and realised that he'd been fooled once again by the smart, young woman. But this time, he would make her pay…

Melody ended up hiding in a small room, behind the stairs that Mort was obviously using as a storage room. She found a free spot behind an old desk and made it her hiding place. After 5 minutes of total silence, her eyes started to wonder around when she finally saw something interesting; an old black hat. She reached for it and was about to try it on when she heard the door open slowly.

"Melly… I know you're in here… I'll find ya and then when I do, I'll make you scream and laugh like you never did before"

"Is that a threat Mr. Rainey?"

She got up and jumped in surprise when she saw him approaching like an animal chasing his pray. And suddenly, he held up an object in front of her face and pressed it. She screamed, thinking it was a weapon of some sort but when she fell a soft, creamy mixture hit her face, she laughed realising it was whipped cream.

"Oh you!"

"You what!"

He sprayed her once again and she jumped on the bottle to make him stop. After a long battle for it, she finally stood up with the whipped cream and sprayed it in his face.

"ummm… Tasty"

He licked his lips and she giggled, putting a finger to his cheek to spread the creamy stuff a bit more.

"Someone here needs a shower eh Mort?"

She giggled again, licking her own lips for some whipped cream. Mort stood there, watching her face and beautiful smile like a child seeing the circus for the first time. He was hypnotised by the happiness and sexiness that she was appealing. Her hair had some whipped cream in it and her neck too which made him think of the urge of getting it off but he restrained himself to touch her so she wouldn't take it the wrong way and run away from him.

She knew that he was looking at her with interest but she didn't want him to think that she was an easy girl so she approached him again with seduction and smiled.

'Mort, just grab her and make her scream like never before…'

He looked down not knowing if he should listen to his mind or let his heart decide. The last time he listened to his mind, Shooter made his entrance and the nightmare had begun.

"Melly I…"

He passed his hand in his hair, thing that Melody had seen him do a couple of times when he was reading, writing or thinking. She opened her eyes wider so she could try and read his.

"I think I'll take my shower after you…" he laughed and she considered that she was more creamed than he was.

"Yeh, thanks Mort"

She smiled wildly and skimmed him disappearing behind the door.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Autumn was getting close to an end and after spending 5 days with her, he realised how much he cared for her even if they only met a few days ago. While writing, he often found himself looking for Melody to see if she was around, watching him. But most of the time, she was reading on the couch or spending some time cooking in the kitchen. She had offered herself to cook the day before not knowing how else she could thank him for everything he had done for her since she ran away from her beloved home.

It was around 2 o'clock and she thought that maybe Mort would want a snack between writing two lines. She, therefore, put her book down and headed for the cupboard for Doritos and the fridge for a Pepsi in the kitchen.  
'That will do' she thought.

"Thank you Melly"

Mort smiled at the view of the Pepsi already open for him and the Doritos bag.  
"Exactly what I needed"

"Thought so" was the only thing she found to say; she was too preoccupied to think of something else as an answer. For the first time, she had dared to look deeper into the man, to pierce his sparkling eyes and fade into his smooth lips. He was an awesome man and she remembered those pokes and flirting jokes that they had made to each other 2 days ago. She realised that he was staring right into her eyes. She bit her lower lip, thinking of his hands on her lower back and waist.

"Melly?"

She woke up of her day dream with pain as she had bitten her lip too hard caught by the surprise of his voice calling her name.

'Good' she thought 'I'm bleeding'

She laughed a little and wiped away the blood with her hand. Mort reached for a tissue and landed it to her. She blushed and mumbled a thank you between her slightly swallowed up lip and the tissue. He giggled and asked if she was all right. She nodded and got back in the kitchen cursing at herself thinking how stupid she had acted in front of him and how she had let her secret thoughts take the lead. She wouldn't permit herself to think about him that way, he had saved her from the loneliness and darkness, gave her a place to stay and a warm smile every time she was feeling sad but that didn't mean that he was thinking about her this way. She was sure that he saw her more as a child that he protected from the cold when no one else could. Maybe she had no chance to be close to her angel but she could dream could she!

Mort had worked since 9 of the morning, but in months, he never had so many ideas. He was 'floating' in his new story and had opened a new window, to a new world. But when he looked at his watch, he realised that he had worked for 7 hours none stop except for the snack that Melody had brought him. So he decided that it was enough; he saved what he had written, closed his laptop and went downstairs to check on Melody. He found her asleep on his couch, holding one of his pillow and her left hand resting on her bare waist. He was about to leave her dreaming when she quickly moved and frowned. He got closer to see if she was all right; she frowned again and her fingers twitched.  
"Don't Mort… don't…"

He frowned himself hearing his name.

'She's having a nightmare' he thought.

'Maybe you just wish it was a dream… eh Morty?'

'Oh, shut it will u'

As he thought so, she turned around so her back was now facing him and her shirt lifted up even more in the process, showing a lot more above her hips and waist. He stared, thinking that he could simply have her right here, right now. He approached his hand, not exactly knowing what he planned to do next, but at the last second, he decided to act wisely and he simple moved some hair that was in her face and took a quilt on a chair to put it on her. Satisfied of his decision, he turned around proudly and went back upstairs thinking that a great shower would do him good.

All of a sudden, Melody woke up in fear, nearly falling off the couch. She realised that she was still in Mort's house and that everything was fine.  
'What time is it?' She looked all around to see if there was a clock and finally found it on top of the chimney.

'Freezin in here…'

Shivering, she went upstairs to find her bag and hopefully find a jumper or something thicker to put on. She entered the room and heard the shower.

'There he is… now where's that jumper'

She turned her bag upside down a searched through her clothes and objects. There was nothing that looked like a jumper but she found a lot of money.

'Great… for once I've got the money and nothing to keep me warm'

She heard the shower stop so she quickly packed up her things to finally sit down on Mort's bed. He opened the door and realised that she was staring at him, but she had good reasons for it; he was half naked and only had a towel to cover himself.

"Sorry, I thought you were asleep"

A bit uncomfortable, he waited for her to say something.

"I was just looking through my stuff for a jumper"

She said, looking down at the floor so he wouldn't see her blush.

"You found any?"

"No…"

She crossed her arms over her chest to protect herself against the cold.

"You know what? I'll give you one of mine if you want and… maybe we can go shopping today or tomorrow"

"Thanks Mort!"

She smiled once again.

"It's in the 3rd draw"

She stood up, trying not to look at him, opened the draw and chose a blue jumper.

"Thanks again Mort"

"No problems Melly"

She putted it on her arm and left the room, closing the door behind her smiling and giggling a little.

'Good timing Pilgrim!'

Mort rolled his eyes and dressed.

The next day, they went to town so she could buy some clothes for the winter.

"Do you want me to leave you choosing your clothes or…"

"Um…" Melody looked all around, spotting the nearest exits. "Can you stay with me?"

Mort looked into her eyes and he could see the fear and the need of a presence in them.

"Yeh sure…"

He smiled and started looking for some clothes. After a good 10 minutes, both of them had found something and they made their way to the dressing rooms. He sat down in the comfortable couch waiting for her to try what they had found. His eyes were fixing the red curtain that was separating him from her when he felt observed; in fact, there were policemen near by and Mort prayed that they didn't know about what people were accusing him of. He looked away hoping that they wouldn't come nearer. As he checked behind once again, he heard Melody speak up;

"Mort? You still there?"

"Yeh, you got something on?"

As an answer, she opened the curtain to show him and to know if it suited her or not. She wore dark jeans with a green, fancy and thick shit that he had chosen. She smiled and passed her hands on the shirt, stressing a little.

"So…?"

"Turn around"

She pulled her sleeve down and turned.

"Good" He said with a smirk fixed on his face.

She turned around to face him again and looked at herself in the mirror. Her curves could be seen even with the thickness of the shirt and that's mort had picked it. She smiled and got back into the cabin to try the rest of the clothes. During that time, they laughed a couple of times because of Mort's reactions to the clothes and she made him try a couple of girly hats that made him look like an idiot. They finally headed for the cash machine with 4 shirts and 3 pairs of jeans. As the woman at the cash machine asked for the money, Melody pulled out a bunch of it out of her back pocket.

"Where did you get that all from?" Mort whispered.

"Step dad forgot about his credit and back card"

She smiled evilly and Mort realised how clever she had been; thinking about getting the money before running away. They were about to leave when the woman who stood behind Mort in the line stopped them;  
"Are you Mort Rainey the author?" She said.

"Yeah it's me!" he smiled wildly and shook hands with the woman. She was older than Melody and looked really pretty.

"Can you sign me this please?" She landed him a small note book and he signed it with a smile.

"Thank you very much; I love your work you know!"

"It's always a pleasure to meet a reader"

With that, he shook her hand once again and they carried on walking to his car.

"It happens often?" Melody asked once they were sitting in the car.

"Oh" he smiled "not lately because I don't go out often"

She suddenly felt jealous, she didn't know why, maybe because of the smile that Mort had gave to the woman.

'Don't be stupid Melly, you live with him'

She smiled at the fact and looked at Mort with deep interest.

_It was 3o'clock and her step-dad wasn't home yet._

'_Probably drunk somewhere' she had thought._

_How many times she told her mother that the guy was not worth it, to leave him so her and her mother could live somewhere together. But her mum loved the man and the man had the money to make them live and eat properly. But that night, things were going to change…_

_She heard them having an argument downstairs as usual and decided to ignore it. But when she heard her mum scream in pain, she ran downstairs; all she could see was a trace of blood next to her mother's head and her step-father holding a knife in one hand and Jack Daniels in the other. Shocked, Melody couldn't scream or neither cry, but when she tried to run upstairs, her step-father turned around with a murderous look in his eyes…_

Melody woke up in panic and she screamed feeling strong arms wrapping themselves around her shaking body.

"Melly! It's fine, it's me… Mort!"

She looked up at him and started crying, burying her face in his bathrobe. Mort stroked her hair and held her tight until her sobers were nearly gone.

"What happened Melly? I heard you scream from downstairs… I thought…"

He knew what he thought… That shooter was upstairs.

"He was there… my Step-Father"

He held her tighter and he felt Melody's arms wrapped around his chest and back. How long they've been holding each others, they didn't know but what was sure, was that both of them needed to feel secure. He putted his fingers under her chin and made her look into his eyes.

"I'll always be there for you. I promise"

She sobbed a bit again and mumbled a thanks. He kissed her forehead and slowly got up.

"You want anything? Water, maybe some fresh air?"

"Can I come with you?"

"Sure, come on, we'll get this sorted"

He smiled and she followed him downstairs. Mort switched the light on in the kitchen and filled a glass with water.

"There you go…" He gave her the glass with precaution "Wanna sit down?"

Not waiting for the answer, he grabbed his coat on the couch, putted it on Melody's shoulders and led her outside so that both of them could sit down on one of the couches on his deck. The moon was almost full and there was a nice cold breeze at this time of the night. They both sat down and Mort picked up a quilt near by to cover them up. She drew closer to him to finally fall asleep in her angel's arms. The writer was simply enjoying the trust she was giving him, thing that he missed from this world. After he made sure that she was asleep, he took her in his arms and carried her back to his bed. He putted her down gently, brought the quilt back on her and left the room slowly closing the door behind him.

'Well, that was nice of you… Pedophile'

"Hey psycho, how much time do I need to ask you to shut it eh?"

'You know I won't… Because I'm you Mort and you can't leave yourself'

"Listen, she needed help and I gave it to her that's it. Period. The End. Got it?"

'Oh, that's it eh? So why your hands were around her waist and shoulders when she slept?'

"Because… Because life is life and I felt like doing it"

'You know he won't like it…'

A chill went down his spinal cord and the atmosphere changed completely; it was now dark and silent as the grave.

'I'm just telling you Mort, do like I said before Shooter killed your wife and Ted; Call the police so they can lock you up before you kill anyone else!'

"I KILLED NOBODY! YOU HEAR ME! NO BODY! HE DID IT! Shooter did it…"

"Shhh… Mr. Rainey, we don't want to wake the purty missy upstairs now do we?"

Mort turned around, he was there, standing at the door with his black hat and southern accent; it was John Shooter, a dairy farmer from Mississippi.

"What are you doing here…? Why are you back?"

Mort was panicking, so much that his hands were shaking and his head spinning. He was terrified but he had always been terrified of Shooter. His eyes so dark that it seemed to pierce you, his hat that he himself wore once and thought he had burnt but obviously not as the farmer was wearing it and his silhouette; like a shadow that always follows you wherever you go.

"Oh, not so fast Pilgrim, who said I left?"

He smiled viciously and stood still taking pleasure in seeing the famous writer lost in terror and speechlessness. Mort felt like drowning, drowning in an infinite cold liquid that had no name and so dark that black was nothing compared to it.

"I did what you asked me to do… I wrote you're ending…" Mort had his mouth wide open and what he just said was not even saying it was whispering but he was so confused and terrified that the words couldn't come out of his throat. He closed his eyes and put his hands on each side of his head like trying to keep it from bursting open telling himself that Shooter wasn't real, repeating it a hundred times, over and over again but nothing would save him from drowning into his own mind… into his fears, into Shooter. He felt the cold process him and not able to fight anymore against it, against his mind, against himself, he drifted away in the darkness, falling backwards and smashed his head on the wooden floor of his living room.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The first leaves had fallen that morning and the cold was slowly replacing the warmth. She opened her eyes and stretched until she could see her toes popping out of the quilt at the other end of the bed. She then turned to her side thinking about the night before, thinking about his arms wrapping around her and his smell, making her feel like she was in heaven. She smiled at the thought and turned to the clock on the little table where Mort had put pancakes on to the last morning. It was 10 o'clock and everything was peaceful and silent.

'Wait a minute… I thought Mort was writing at that time… what did he say? 9 to 11?!'

Concerned, she slowly got up, not really taking care of her appearance, and she opened the door slightly, only to check if Mort was on his laptop. Her eyebrow rose when she saw that he was neither at his desk or that his laptop wasn't open. She pushed the door a bit more, but there was still no sign of Mort.

"Mort? Are you there?"

She turned around and picked up Mort's blue jumper that she had left on a chair near the bed, putted it on, and went downstairs.

"Mort?" She called out again

'He's probably gone for a walk…'

She suddenly froze; Mort was lying on the floor and seemed unconscious.

"Oh my god…" Melody ran up to him to see if he was okay.

"Mort…?" she asked in a whisper.

She checked if he was breathing and checked his pulse; it was really slow. She leaned closer to see if he had any injuries and noticed that there was some blood on the floor next to his head. She shook him a little but he wasn't moving at all. She started to panic;

'What should I do?!'

Her breathing accelerated and she felt her toes and the tips of her fingers growing cold. She looked all around to try and find the phone and she saw it; on the table right next to the couch.

She reached for it as quick as possible and composed the emergency number.

"Emergency 9-1-1, can I help you?"

"Yea well, there is a man on the floor, I think he is unconscious and his head is bleeding and erm… I think we need an amb…"

Her throat blocked; a cold hand had taken the phone off her hands and he putted it back on the stand. But it wasn't Mort… He looked so cold and his eyes looked murderous.

"Mort… you all right?"

The man putted his hand behind his head and brought it back to see that there was some blood on it. He then looked down at Melody, helpless on the floor, speechless and innocent.

"Well, hello missy"

He finally said.

"Mort, I found you on the floor, what happened?"

She let out a gasp and a little moaned of pain when he grabbed her wrists in his powerful hands and squeezed harder and harder as the seconds passed. Her eyes opened in fear and terror. A tear flowed down her cheek and the man leaned closer to finally whisper in her ear;

"He's back… please Melly, run…'

He loosened his grip and fell right into her arms leaving Melody in confusion.

"Mort?! Mort?! Answer me! What are you talking about?! Who's back?! Mort?!"

His head felt heavy and he swore that if he would have walked right now, he wouldn't have been able to carry it. He felt numb and he had to work hard to open his eyes but finally succeed receiving the bright light of the sun, making him blind for at least a minute or so. He wasn't home, and it looked nothing like home; he was comfortably lying on an elevated white bed with white sheets and there was a table next to him on his right with aspirins and a big glass of water.

'Great!' He thought 'I'm in a hospital…'

He turned his head to the left to see Melody, asleep, sitting on a chair, resting her head in her right hand. She was wearing his blue jumper with her pyjama pants that had little monkeys on them. He smiled a little but his joy disappeared in a second as he was trying to remember what happened the night before and to find the reason why he was lying in a hospital bed. The only thing he could remember was her moaned of pain and a tear that had fallen down Melody's cheek. He looked down at his hands and looked at her wrists.

'What have I done? Bloody Idiot… What have you done?'

Feeling ashamed, he looked up at the ceiling cursing himself for what he had done, not exactly knowing what it was. He brought his hands to his head and passed his fingers in his hair and at the same moment, Melody slowly woke up.

"Mort…? You all right?"

He turned his head again to meet her worried eyes and face.

"Me, it doesn't matter, are you all right?"

She looked down at her feet and nodded. She had just been scared and terrified but nothing more. Her bruises on her wrists were superficial and she had already forgotten about it.

"Melly…" She looked up at him "What happened last night?"

"I found you lying on the floor so I called the emergency and… but…" She gulped and looked at her wrists for the first time since she had left the house.

"Did I do that to you?"

She nodded once again.

"Melly, I'm so sorry, I… I don't know what happened… I…"

It was now his turn to look terrified and completely lost. He looked up at the ceiling and cursed himself for the 30th time at least in less than 5 minutes. She got up and approached Mort. She then leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

"No worries Mort, I'm fine and I was just worried about your head so I called the ambulance, you were bleeding."

He hugged her back but the magic moment was broken by a knock on the door. It was the doctor who treated Mort's head the night before.

"Hello Mr. Rainey, how are you feeling?"

"I feel like doing snoopy dances doctor!"

Mort smiled wildly and sat up to show the doctor that he was half serious. Melody laughed a little at the expression and sat back down on the chair that she had slept on the night that Mort had told her that 'he' was back.

Each day were drawing them closer, each laugh was getting precious, each smile was kept in mind and each night they would dream of each others arms.

Melody didn't ask him who he had talked about that night… The 'he' was still a mystery to her but she never mentioned it again. Mort hadn't felt so happy since his divorce and knowing that Melody actually cared enough for him to call the ambulance was satisfying him enough. He could trust her but he could hardly trust himself; each day, Mort had to fight against his natural, animal and man desires, against his mind and dreams of her curves and warmth under him, against the temptation and curiosity.

And then, came the first snow…

A nice cold morning, Melody practically ran downstairs to finally jump on Mort on the couch like a little child waking up their parents so that they can open their presents under the Christmas tree.

"Mort! Wake up!!"

He opened his eyes and grabbed her waist so he could poke her.

"Not so funny now is it little Melly?! Waking me, Morton Rainey, from a fantastic dream!"

"Mort! Ow!! AH! Stop!"

He finally let go and she grabbed his hand.

"Come by the window, come on!"

She dragged him in the kitchen and then he saw what she wanted to show him; the snow was slowly falling down, in slow motion. The lake seemed frozen and the trees were covered with a white duvet. He smiled warmly and decided that a little hug wouldn't do any harm; He held her in a tight embrace and let go to propose a hot chocolate.

Soon, the green grass was covered of pure white snow like velvet, the lake by a thin sparkling ice and Melody's cheeks were quickly turning rosy pink as soon as her nose would pass the front door of Mort's humble chalet. They had in fact, decided that a nice walk along the lake would be a good way to start off the journey. Mort wore a black beanie hat, a black fancy coat and a black, grey and blue scarf that made him stand out of this white heaven that they were about to walk into.

Mort knew his way thought the woods but Melody kept looking down at her feet so she wouldn't trip over a root. They were both smiling and enjoying themselves listening to the peaceful silence of the beginning of the winter season. Melody was thinking of a way to get his attention and she made up her plan;

"Melly? Where you going?"

She had run off like a little child playing hide and seek. She turned at the corner waiting patiently for her prey.

"Melly? What on earth are you d…"

Poof

It had hit him right across his chest; a snow ball. Melody was laughing like mad and was already making a new one to throw. Mort smiled wildly and bent down to make a snow ball himself, but as he stood up, he received another one at his side.

'That's it. This means war…"

He turned around to face her and threw the snow ball right at her leg making her laugh.

A bit later, Mort was hiding behind a tree and Melody stood near by trying to spot his position so she could fire two snow balls that she had made a few seconds ago. She walked slowly down the oath watching her back when suddenly:

"Boo!!"

"AH!!!"

Mort had been too quick for her, he had jump on her back stepping behind his tree. Caught by the shock, Melody fell backwards still holding Mort's coat in fright. They both ended up covered in snow and in each others arms on the ground. They burst out laughing and she took advantage of the situation to put some snow down his shirt.

"Oh my god!! Cold! Cold!"

He got up, jumping about, trying to get the show off his back practically laughing. He never had this much fun in a long time.

Back home and soaking wet, Melody went upstairs to get change before getting a cold and Mort went to the bathroom to find some towels. It was already 2 o'clock and neither of them had lunch yet.

"Melly?"

"Yeh?" Mort heard from upstairs

"You hungry?"

"Yeh! Do you want me to cook?"

"What about you come downstairs and we cook something together!"

Speeding up the process of dressing up, Melody nearly fell on the bed and onto the floor and suddenly heard a soft knock on the door.

"Eum, wait a minute Mort…"

'Damn it' she thought. She didn't even had a shirt on and was searching for one.

"Mort?"

"Yeh?"

"Blue or green?"

"Erm, I don't know… why?"

She laughed a little and realised that he didn't know what she was talking about.

"My shirt… Should I wear the blue or the green one?"

"I don't know Melly... Let's say green!"

She picked up the green one from the bed and put it over her head.

"Come in!"

As Mort came in, he glanced at her back that wasn't all covered yet and that's when he felt a warm sensation in his stomach. Not wanting to say anything that could make her feel uncomfortable, he went to his draw to pick up some clothes as he was still wearing his wet shirt.

Snow kept falling slowly from the grey sky adding a thin layer to the present one already covering the frozen ground. A rich coloured fire was whispering cracking noises in the living room, replacing the usual symphony of the singing birds outside Mort's chalet. The warmth of the fire place instantly hit their faces like a wave as the climbed downstairs.

"When did you have the time to make a fire?"

Melody asked as she noticed the source of warmth in the living room. Mort simply smiled and invited her to enter the kitchen. Thinking about it, he never recalled starting the fireplace but convinced himself that he must have done it unconsciously which sent him chills up his back. Never, never again he would allow himself to do anything unconsciously. Who knows what he might do next…

Satisfied of the meal prepared by the two of them, they sat at the table, the same table where the next day of her arrival they shared their first breakfast. Their attitude toward each other was the only thing that had changed over the weeks. Mort would restrain himself to flirt with Melody not wanting her to think that he was abusing of her vulnerable status to create a false feeling of comfort and security to… Well, for her to simply think that he was using her to satisfy his loneliness which was not the case. Lately, he had noticed a change in her ways to talk to him and the way she was acting with him: she would prepare his breakfast almost every morning and bring it to him at his laptop so that he could eat and work at the same time. She would wash their clothes twice a week and lay them perfectly on the couch for him to place his own stuff in his draws. She was doing simple little things that made him feel comfortable and that would never put him in a stress or a rush. Every single smile she gave him sent a warm feeling down his stomach and a look on her silhouette would send him chills up his back. Almost every night, they cuddled on the couch in front of the fire, each of them reading a book or sharing an apple/cinnamon pie that they had made earlier in the day with ice cream. It almost seemed like they were living together.

They had a great day today; the two of them went for a walk near by the lake and Melody found a spot where they could ice skate without the fear of going through the ice covering the lake. After a few fall, Mort had gotten the hang of it and only passed a few inches away from falling into a bunch of cold snow. Coming back to his chalet, Mort started the fire place and they sat near each other with a hot chocolate, warming up their cold feet. That was when she turned around; her eyes filled with hope and leaned on Mort for more warmth and comfort. She was slowly recovering from her mother's loss and he could feel that she was getting more comfortable with the fact that she was living under the wings of a stranger. But that's what he thought. Sometimes, Melody wondered if she was too much in the house and she also wondered if she was abusing of this hospitality he was giving her. She often thought that he was maybe too polite to ask her to leave the house because he felt awkward living with a person younger than him. Whatever they felt, Mort was thinking that it was time for a change...


End file.
